First of all - what is Broken Earth? the easy answer would be that it is a post-nuclear campaign setting for Pathfinder, set in an Allotopia (an alternate reality of our own world for non-literature mayors) - this means that no magic is assumed to exist per se, though adding in rare magic would be no issue at all.

Now the book kicks off with a vast array of crunch - from new races (ape-men and synthetic humanoids) and then receive archetypes - a lot of them - from the chem-head alchemist to scrappers, we get a cool selection here - now one peculiarity I *LOVE* about Broken Earth would be its awareness - its awareness of what's out there. If you're like me and have this great sub-system from 3pp XYZ, you want to use it - only every supplement seems to add a new one instead, often less refined. well, not so this book - from nodding towards Kobold Press' Spell-less Ranger to Rogue Genius Games' Anachronistic Adventurers-series (and the superb research-rules therein!) to Dreamscarred Press' psionics, Broken Earth provides support for all of them and still manages to maintain functionality without access to them - everyone wins. Beyond that, a mechanic that balances character creation modularity with mutations and drawbacks makes for a cool way of handling racial restrictions and still maintain flexibility. The pdf also provides an array of equipment and vehicles, rules for radiation, overland hexploration and even sample communities and associated traits. We even receive a MASSIVE array of different supplemental options for the kingdom-building rules of Ultimate Campaign! Sounds familiar so far? Well, that's because the generally known components have been released before in the separate player's guide to broken earth, which I've also reviewed in much more detail - thus, if you're interested in the details of the crunch, please check out this review.

Now a general look at the page-count shows you that this pdf mostly of new content, but what exactly? Well, for one, the book is a campaign setting - but it's also something different. When you hear "campaign setting", you usually expect write-ups of different locations and nations, politics, history and the like - here, Broken Earth, while still providing that, sets its focus in a completely different way - and is better off for it. First of all, you'll notice an unusual amount of scrappers, NPCs etc. all ready to drop into your campaign. Secondly, you'll notice something different - think about Fallout, Wasteland and games like that - what's their draw? Scarcity, exploration, a sense of desolation and lack -and the constant fear and wonder what lies beyond the next hilltop or dune. While the crunch sports rules for fuel etc., while there are pieces of information, extensive ones, that is, on tech levels etc., the result could have ended up as something a kin to a fantasy world with a post-apocalyptic spray-paint. That is NOT the case.

From proper army statblocks to enclaves of high-tech hopes for a resettlement of earth, from mutants and supercomputers todrones, the narrative potential here is perfect - to the pitch. Whether you like your post-apocalypse gritty or over the op, this book supports all playstyles from Mad Max to Katmandi at Earth's End to The Last of Us - whatever your preferred flavor of end-times would be, a certain spirit of the end-times suffuses every single component of the writing, an endzeitgeist if you will.

Yeah. I'm gonna punch myself in the face later for writing that. (And no, I am not affiliated with this book in any way!) Essentially, the rest of the book is a DM's toolbox akin to one massive, huge survival wilderness module - or AP. This book essentially doubles as its very own, superb campaign outline-collection - player-driven exploration and a vast collection of iconic locales drive an overall experience that is, by virtue of its very presentation, radically different not only in its spray-paint, but also in the experience. Exceedingly detailed hooks that can be developed in less than a couple of hours into inspiring scenarios suffuse the pages of this tome. Whether you just want a depths-of-humanity's-depravity theme or rather have your PCs fight cyber-enhanced apes - this book has you covered and oscillation between themes and tropes can be handled exceedingly easily. From giant ants to telekinetic wolves to dragons (mutated, irradiated eagles with radioactive fire breath), everything you would ask from a basic post-apocalyptic bestiary is here.

As a mostly wilderness/survival-themed sandbox, random encounter tables are obviously non-optional, and they do come in excessive detail for each general locale. The NPC-Codex like array of generic stats, rare item tables, lists of psioncs used and even an index and an appendix of media for further inspiration are provided. (The latter deserves a ruffle though -each appendix like that ought to reference the grandfather of post-apocalypse movies, "A Boy and His Dog" - if you haven't seen that gem, it has aged pretty well!)

I could go on spoiling the details, the truth behind "Phoenix", what can be found in the monster lands, comment on the pseudo-neo-feudal kingdom of Geneva...but I won't.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good - while there are some typos and glitches in here, the overall quality, especially for a "small" 3pp like Sneak Attack Press, is damn impressive. Layout adheres to a beautiful 2-column b/w-standard that manages to remain printer-friendly. The original pieces of b/w-artwork are awesome and the cartography (the main map also comes as a full-color pdf with the book!) can also stand up to this level. The pdf comes fully bookmarked with nested bookmarks for your convenience, with one bookmark out of order - no biggie, though. I can't comment on the quality of softcover/hardcover, since I do not own the print-version.

Matthew J. Hanson has written singlehandedly what usually takes a team of authors. Usually, that is cause for alarm or at least, deep scrutiny. So I went through the checklist in my head: Settlement statblocks? Check. Full-blown kingdom building support, with modified end-times appropriate new content galore? Check. MASSIVE 3pp-support, though always modular/optional? Check. Proper grasp of psionics? Check. I'd drop the f-bomb now, but I know that some filters don't like it. Just imagine me uttering it.

I honestly didn't expect to like this book - I, like so many others, have been waiting for Warlords of the Apocalypse for a LONG time. I have grown fond of RGG's anachronistic adventurer-classes and did not expect them to be supported here. I was firmly in the WotA-bandwagon. Well, they are and this massive tome manages to get post-apocalypse just RIGHT. In all its facets, in its peculiarities and different flavors. Could you introduce banned classes and elements? Yes. Could you annihilate anything super-natural/sci-fi for a full-blown extreme-gritty campaign? Yes, you could. Vehicles, survival radiation, rebuilding civilization and settlements - this book offers just about everything I could ask for. And even if you don't plan on playing in this Broken Earth, going full-blown steampunk, refluffing just about every rule herein to fit your tastes will still deliver a vast amount of content. Magical wastes, desolate planes - this book's massive array of content, even when used in unintended ways, makes for a glorious grab-bag.

Broken Earth is the benchmark that any future take on the post-apocalyptic will have to surpass -and have an exceedingly hard time doing so. Is every component perfectly finetuned? No, but seeing how much we get, how much of that just oozes the right spirit, like a possessed radiation sore, this book has slowly taken me over. Broken Earth is one exceedingly awesome tome, one that will have anyone even remotely into post-apocalyptic games grin with glee. Add to that the more than fair, very low price and we have a glorious tome indeed - well worth of 5 stars + seal of approval and a nomination as a candidate for my Top Ten of 2014.

A neat little package which is more than a supervillain or three but less than a full-blown adventure - and full of ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

It starts by describing the history and present state of the AlphEx Coporation from its humble beginnings as a small coal mining company to the current sprawling conglomerate headed by CEO Sebastian Gallows. Secretly, Gallows thinks it is time that corporations took over running the world from governments and if this should happen he's determined that AlphEx will be in the forefront of the new world order. He's been looking into the superpower phenomenon as a possible route to power...

Cue Meltdown, a former security officer who was involved in a radiation accident and survived with the ability to store radioactivity like a battery. Gallows is forcing the poor soul to commit crimes, mostly to further the prospects of AlphEx - industrial espionage and the like. Full stats and background are provided for both Meltdown and Gallows, as well as a few other rather 'special' employees of AlphEx - an engineer and a medical researcher - and for good measure, some rather dandy gadgets as well.

There's plenty of potential here. Maybe the party meet Meltdown out marauding. If they find out how unwilling he is they might delve deeper and eventually mount a raid on AlphEx premises. Or you may have other ideas... delve into this neat little package and see what you come up with.

This is one of the best SW settings I have read(and I have nearly ALL of them). I really like how the communities are set up to grow and improve somewhat like character might. A community has Edges and resources and there are (very playable-non cumbersome) rules for how this works and how the PCs can adventure to help gain these elements for a town! The PCs grow and level as in all SW settings but in BW the communities are alive and need the PCs to flourish. This concept alone could fuel a enjoyable campaign that could go for years (REAL and GAME). Broken Worlds is very much about survival and all the drama and action it takes to do just that! As a GM, Broken Worlds got me dreaming up story lines right away - that's how I know it's a winner! If you like the genre and SW - get this!

Definitely a grade A product. One of the best PA game books I've seen, and I've been playing various ones since Metamorphosis Alpha was getting rewritten into the original Gamma World from TSR. It evokes a very Wasteland/Fallout style vibe with dashes of the more extreme PA genres thrown in - let's call it the Gamma World Sci-Fantasy at one end and the grittier movies like I am Legend and Book of Eli at the quasi-realistic end. The balance is actually very well done and can easily be adjusted anywhere up or down that spectrum that the GM desires. Usable straight "out of the box" for low-experience GMs with only minimal prep, but still has tremendous depth for veterans.

This is not at all pulpy or alternate reality-PA so don't expect extra dimensional raiders, moon-based nazis, or time traveling gaslight wastelanders who fight angels and demons on earth from a phonebooth brought in by invading mystical aliens intent on making all your base belong to them.

The community building aspect is a very strong one and works well as a central focus. I've seen (and used) the premise many times before but this one is very well handled and dove-tails nicely with the Savage Worlds rules. It's one of the best quantifications of the community concept I've ever seen. But even so, it's not a required aspect of the sandbox you're given to play in. Admittedly, it's core to much of what's written, but if you're just cherry-picking from the material there's still plenty to grab for your own games.

Production quality is good to very good, artwork is fair to good (if a little sparse outside of various NPC images), and writing/layout is generally good and fairly logical as well. Just based on production values it's an A- or B+. But it's definitely an A+ for content and concept.

Many of the entries practically screamed for more maps, more details, more art, more everything. But that's only to be expected on something that covers so much. I could easily see campaign books being created for each of the major sub-regions and epic adventures written for certain story arcs and specific locations. But within the constraints of reality and publishing it's got a TON of goodies to work with, and enough specifics for a solid campaign arc with minimal input required. It's the huge quantity of additional material that begs to be used/developed that makes it a true winner in my mind and gives it the versatility that a setting needs to support multiple campaigns instead of just one.

Hopefully this publisher will look at adding many more great products to this line. But even if they never do, any moderately experienced GM can easily develop their own. In my ridiculous piles of printed and electronic material for PA games this one earns it's spot on the "go-to" short list.

-EDIT-
I hadn't read Daniel F.'s review when I wrote this but find it amusing that we used several identical or near-identical terms and thoughts regarding this product. "The definition of a genius is someone who agrees with you" :-)

So what is Broken Earth? It is, essentially, a post-apocalyptic setting on our very own planet earth - the Great War has passed, and now the world is changed. Thus, one can assume a bunch of differences from traditional Pathfinder fantasy campaigns. So let's skip the basic introduction and its flavor for now and focus on the options available for character generation, shall we? First of all, it is recommended you use hero points as per the APG - why will become more evident later.

First of the "new races" would be the freaks - changed by radiation and genetically-engineered viruses, these beings get +2 to an ability-score of their choice, +20 to fort-saves against radiation (and no auto-fail on a natural 1), +4 to saves versus diseases and poisons and +1 to AC.

Simians would be just the race for fans of "Planet of the Apes" - these mutated, upright walking intelligent chimpanzees get +2 to Str and Dex, -2 to Int, low-light vision, a climb speed of 20 ft., +2 to acrobatics (and acrobatics and climb are always class skills), are never prone as a result from falling (and get +1 to CMD versus trip) and finally, receive improved initiative as a bonus feat.

If you'd rather go for a synthetic lifeform, the synths would be your race of choice with +2 Con and Int, -2 Cha, increased natural healing, 25% chance to negate crits, 10 ft. less falling distance for means of damage, +2 to two skills (which become class skills) and +4 to skill-checks when dealing with AIs.

All right, that out of the way, let's take a look at classes - and here you'll get a minor shock: No divine and arcane magic. None. That means only the barbarian, fighter, monk and rogue are available. This also means no Knowledge (arcana), Use Magic Devices etc., but Knowledge and Craft get some new subcategories. But before delving deeper into that matter, I feel obliged to note that barbarians get two new rage powers - one making him/her resistant to radiation, while the other grants a raging barbarian a RADIATION AURA. Yes. This is awesome. Fighters may opt for the waste warrior archetype, which essentially takes handguns and long arms into account as weapon categories, Living Weapons, i.e. Broken Earth's monks, become immune to radiation and also can actually temporarily fly at 12th level by virtue of their ki! In a world sans magic, rather awesome! Rogues of the Scrapper archetype can wilder in chemistry and psionics.

Wait...yep, alchemists are represented via the Chem-heads, who use chemistry instead of alchemy. Their extracts can be injected, transmitted via patches etc. Discoveries, appropriate extracts etc. are covered in this section as well. Cavaliers remain unchanged, whereas gunslingers (here known as boomers) also get a minor modification.

Now I've already mentioned psionics - and yes, this setting actually integrates Dreamscarred Press' superb psionics-rules, though once again, limitations to maintain the world's integrity are mentioned. In even more cool cross-3pp-support, Kobold Press' great Spell-less ranger and Rogue Genius Games' superb Anachronistic Adventurers are also mentioned, even giving a nod towards the Warlords of the Apocalypse book in planning, even though that might be considered direct competition. Superb sportsmanship and camaraderie from Sneak Attack Press here - two thumbs up!

As mentioned, we get new skills - two to be precise: Drive and Pilot and they do just what you'd expect them to. 10 new feats allow you to shoot burst fire, double tap with semiautomatic firearms, gain mutations, radiation resistance, affect vermin with your psionic powers, get subdermal blades as a synth, create super drugs or drive surface vehicles sans penalty. We also get a trait for a minor mutation and 9 traits assigned to 3 locales, usually offering additional starting equipment and also offering minor bonuses.

Now I've already mentioned mutations - these are determined by their mutation points, or MP. Mutations either offer you a cost in the case of beneficial mutations or a value in the case of mutation drawbacks. Mutations either are cosmetic, minor, major or drawbacks and a total of 37 of these allow for some mayor character customization - from unnatural eyes, darkvision to weak (and superb) immune systems, webbed digits, lost arms, tails, especially pronounced sense of smell to even growing to size large, there is quite an array of cool options, some of which can be combined - if a bite attack is not enough, you can always upgrade that with acidic spittle - just remember that kissing will never be the same...

We also are introduced to a new anti-radiation formula and 4 new psionic powers that deal with radiation and technology.

After this, we are introduced to the 3 sample communities mentioned among the traits, offering unique perspectives and flavor -from the primitive Axe Tribe to the Iron Shelter and the prosperous Wright Town, each gets a full-blown settlement statblock, interesting background info and even local slang - awesome.

What about gear? Well, to cut a long ramble short - there is A LOT of gear in here, including different tech levels and a re-examination of the basic firearm rules and proficiency availability. The concept of item rarity and proficiencies with exotic weapons like flame throwers are covered here as well as rules for autofire. Tons of weapons and items as well as rules for weapon accessories and yes, even ammo weight, are provided, as are various super-drugs. Beyond these, we also get 8 new vehicles to pilot with the drive skill, from bicycles and canoes to SUVs and harleys - a nice array, which btw. also includes fuel efficiency. It should be noted that Broken Earth presumes trade points as an abstraction for the relative value of items, allowing you to easily convert from gp-values. Oh, and there are mastercraft items, which, in the absence of magic, work as more varied degrees of superior manufacture.

The gear out of the way, next up would be rules for varying degrees of radiation sickness, overland hexploration/overland travel rules, harvesting and scavenging according to the item's respective rarity. Where the pdf starts shining excessively would be in the settlement construction rules, which not only greatly expand those provided in the glorious Ultimate Campaign book, it also offers equivalents of titles and a total of no less than 64 (unless I've miscounted) buildings, all with BP and lots, allowing you supreme construction options to create your own settlement and essentially run survival-themed kingmaker games in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Better yet: Community-events are covered in similar, massive detail and even mass combat army resources are part of teh deal here - glorious!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are good - while I did not notice any significant glitches, some minor typos have crept in - though nothing too serious can be found glitch-wise. Layout adheres to a printer-friendly 2-column b/w-standard with neat b/w-artworks that thematically fit the setting's flair. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience.

Matthew J. Hanson delivers a dauntingly conservative post-apocalyptic setting that comes alive surprisingly well thanks to the absence of magic - instead of trying to be too wide, the setting is narrow, concisely made and shows significant awareness for what's out there, allowing you to make use of all those cool rulebooks you have gathered without explicitly requiring you to do so. The Broken Earth Player's Guide is a massive post-apocalyptic toolbox, a supplement that works as a great introduction to the setting and its possibilities. Broken Earth is well-crafted and the book manages to make me excited to try for a settlement-building "stem the tide"-scenarios and more secrets on the DM-side about the world. And that is the hallmark of a good supplement. My final verdict will hence clock in at 5 stars, missing the seal of approval only by a tiny margin.

Here is my mini review.
I bought the player's guide a few days after it came out. I loved it and as soon as I finished it I bought the full game. I'll be running this next moth.

I there are a few minor editing quirks, but in the general the book is very well edited and easy to read.

The players guide:
I liked the PC races. They are very evocative of. The genre.

I liked the idea of starting community and important Npc as part of character generation. The 3 recommended starting communities are well fleshed out and cover all the bases: vault, town in the ruins and tribal.

The community building rules in the players guide are what really sold me. They seem well thought out and provide something I have been looking for in a rpg for a long time: a way for the PCs to influence their communities in a real visible way, supported by mechanics. I think this is going to get the players invested in the community and really give them something to fight for.

I'll try to review the GM section in a way that does not give spoilers to the players:
First of all this is a pretty big Book. Abot 114 pages devoted to the gm plus some forms, etc.

What sold me on this game is the fact that it is a PA sandbox. Frankly I have not seen a decent one since Gamma World 2nd ed. The Broken Earth sandbox blows all other sandboxes I have read Out Of The Water!
The sandbox is a combination of locations, mini-plot points and linked events. I got my money's worth out of the game just from the enjoyment of reading this section! I really like how "alive" the game world feels. The objectives, and world views of the major settlements are described well and give a very complete and "real" feel to the setting. The game world is large and very complete, but at the same time there is plenty of room for the GM to fill in with his/her own ideas.

The are some setting specific rules. The scavenging rules are FFF. They seem simple and effective. The mass battle rules follow the rules in SWDE. The community building rules dovetail nicely into the scavenging rules and mass battle rules. The radiation rules are simple and effective.

Here is my mini review.
I bought the player's guide a few days after it came out. I loved it and as soon as I finished it I bought the full game. I'll be running this next moth.

I there are a few minor editing quirks, but in the general the book is very well edited and easy to read.

The players guide:
I liked the PC races. They are very evocative of. The genre.

I liked the idea of starting community and important Npc as part of character generation. The 3 recommended starting communities are well fleshed out and cover all the bases: vault, town in the ruins and tribal.

The community building rules in the players guide are what really sold me. They seem well thought out and provide something I have been looking for in a rpg for a long time: a way for the PCs to influence their communities in a real visible way, supported by mechanics. I think this is going to get the players invested in the community and really give them something to fight for.

A good solid of rules for characters in a post-apocalyptic setting. Nothing too outlandish, no talking plants or gun-toting humanoid rabbits, although there are intelligent simians. A nice smattering of mutations for those so-inclined (fangs, gills, etc.). There's a good section on scavenging, and another good one on creating a small post-apocalyptic community.
I really like this product and will use it for our future Savage Worlds games. And frankly, it's not too hard to add talking plants and gun-toting humanoid rabbits to the mix if that's what you want!

This product is excellent if you are into post apocalyptic role playing, which is probably why you are looking at this product!

The first section of the PDF deals with a general overview of Broken Earth and it's main setting, Minnesota, but you could easily use this for anywhere in the United States or the world for that matter.

Up next is the Character Creation section, filled with useful tips for building a cohesive post apocalyptic hero (or antihero), complete with some new archetypes for the Alchemist, Fighter, Gunslinger, Rogue, and Monk, as well as a couple of new rage powers for the Barbarian.
Because magic does not exist in this world (it is not Shadowrun), the only sort of caster class is the Psion from Dreamscarred Press' material and Sneak Attack Press does a good job of limiting what exactly a Psion can and cannot do in the world.
They also suggest to try out the Spell-Less Ranger from Kobold Press, as well as some classes from the Anachronistic Adventures series.
The available races are Human, Freaks (which are Ghouls from the Fallout series), Simians (think Planet of the Apes), and Synths (androids).

The next section contains a bit of fluff concerning the major communities and organizations of post apocalyptic Minnesota, most notably The Axe Tribe, a religious, nomadic group of survivors that reveres the spirit Palbun (yes, Paul Bunyan) and in many ways represents a tribe of Native Americans, as well as The Wright Family, from Wright Town (old world Duluth), who are a powerful family that deals mostly in trade and are ruthless in their pursuit of power.

Continuing on, the Gear section is exactly that, a breakdown of the most commonly found gear found in Broken Earth. This section was the only area that was a little lackluster, but not enough to knock it down a peg from where I put it. You can always use your other post apocalyptic books or Fallout strategy guides to fill out any missing gear or guns.

The last section deals with exploring the new world, whether on foot, or in a refurbished vehicle and the dangers of radiation as well as battling other great powers in the wasteland.

Overall, a 5/5 product and HIGHLY recommended if you want to run a post apocalyptic campaign. You'll get a lot of mileage out of this 55 page PDF if you have The Pathfinder Core Book, The Advanced Players Guide, Ultimate Campaign, and the bestiaries.

Other things to consider:

The book does not go into a lot of detail on creatures, so you will need to do a bit of leg work in that department. If you've ever played any post apocalyptic or weird wet role playing games (Fallout, Gamma world, Deadlands, etc.) there are plenty of monsters there that can be used for inspiration as well tweaking monsters from the Bestiary.

Abstract dungeon is a very fast and light system, that is tilted towards a story based system. The book is flavored towards a Fantasy game system with the first 17 pages covering the basic dice mechanics. The system is easily modifiable for other genre's without having to change or modify the rules much if at all. I have played this using the system as is for cyberpunk, including the random character creation system and even used the some times wacky character trait's without having to make any modifications.

When I say fast I mean we finished and ended an adventure that included 4 social conflicts, 3 physical conflicts and a ton of narrative in less than 2 hours, which included character generation.

Want to run a system that lacks everything that creates power-gaming and the “arms war” mentality of gamers? Then Abstract Dungeon is just the ticket. Want to be able to game for a few hours and not end the night still in the middle of the first encounter? Then Abstract Dungeon is for you.

The system is simplistic, but don't confuse this with simple. The mechanic creates a need for strategy and player cooperation. All the players' abilities are represented by dice. These dice create the die pool (resources) that a character draws from during the game. The really interesting aspect off the game is that players roll all of their dice before the adventure begins, allocating them as they go along to overcome monsters and obstacles. Simple right? Not so fast. The real joy of this system is the fact that as players spend dice, they must describe their actions. This alone makes Abstract Dungeon great. No longer are players' actions simply die rolls with results. “I rolled a 35 and did 12 points of damage” is replaced by: “I grit my teeth and rush into the combat sweeping one goblin off its feet and then sinking my battleaxe into the one behind it.”

There is no need for extensive lists of spells, skills, feats, inventories, or armories. Players can do whatever they want, as long as they narrate their actions. They can draw from all of their fantasy experiences—gaming, movies, novels, etc—in order to accomplish this. While this may sound a little to liberal and free, my players created character concepts, and their actions fell nicely into what that character should reasonably do. For example, my fighter player refused to cast any spells.

Adventure writing is easy and free-flowing as well. The GM is aware of the players' resources (amount of dice) and sets the encounters to deplete said resources. If my players have 60 total dice, then I know that the challenges should be around that same number. The encounters last no more than three to four rounds, so more time in the adventure writing was dedicated to story/plot. Helping to create a rich setting and story arc with which players could interact.

This system harkens back to the early days of RPGs where rules were light, creativity was at a premium, and roleplaying was the goal...not an afterthought.